 - In a general context, churn is a synonym for agitation or turnover. The term derives from a dairy procedure that results in butter (one agitates cream in a wooden container; churn is the word for both the container and the process), but is often used to refer to something that is turning over, either literally or figuratively. In a business context, it generally refers to customer or employee turnover, and especially attrition. The rate of attrition, known as the churn rate, is an important business metric.
Churn is frequently spoken of in a communications context, where it refers to the tendency of Internet and cell-phone subscribers to switch providers. The most common reasons for churn are dissatisfaction with an existing provider, the lure of a lower price for equivalent service from a different provider, and the lure of better service for the same price from a different provider. Churn can also result from a
change in the subscriber's geographic location, the desire for increased
connection speed, or a need for different or enhanced cell-phone coverage.
Churn can be a problem for some providers, particularly those whose
services employ substantial hardware at the subscriber site. Satellite
Internet service providers are a good example of this. In order to lure and
retain customers, such firms may offer free installation (which normally
costs several hundred dollars), free hardware, free programs, and free
system upgrades. A firm may also require a customer to sign a contract that
imposes a penalty if the subscriber does not stay with the service for the
prescribed length of time.
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Learn more about Cell Phones and Cellular Technology |
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| Cellular broadband is mobile and reliable: Cellular broadband is available from most of the major carriers now and in this guest column, John Shelper says it's reliable, available and relatively cheap. |
| Dual-mode Wi-Fi and cellular phones to grow: Dual-mode Wi-Fi and cellular VoIP phones are poised for huge growth, while mobile and single-mode phone sales continue to climb. |
| Mobile Radio Systems: This chapter is an intro to the various mobile radio systems. It provides a foundation for comparing competing mobile radio access systems for supporting mobile broadband services. |
| Cost-effective mobile connectivity: As companies facing mounting mobile connectivity costs you need to make sense of the available mobile connectivity options and reduce costs before they get out of control. |
| FCC releases list of 700MHz spectrum auction bidders: As the auction approaches, the FCC releases the list of bidders for rights to the 700MHz wireless spectrum. |
| Wireless carriers: The good, the bad, and the just plain annoying: It's not unusual for customers dealing with their wireless carriers to get bad service, but in his latest editorial Adama Brown recounts an especially bad example. |
| Managed mobile services: This managed mobile services series, examines services for device management, email, enterprise applications, and cellular telephony. It concludes with a best practices guide. |
| LAST UPDATED: |
27 Jun 2005
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